The present invention relates to a shredder for permitting the shredding of leaves, lawn trash, twigs and the like, and which utilizes a direct drive vertical shaft power unit that drives a rotor providing fan blades for vacuum feed in the center of the rotor and having shredding blades at the outer periphery for shredding material. A separate sleeve or chute for feeding larger diameter limbs from trees for chipping is provided, along with a plurality of chipping blades that are mounted on the rotor.
In the prior art, various devices for chipping and shredding materials have been advanced. U.S. Pat. No. 3,674,220 shows a chipper shredder device that utilizes a vertical shaft for mounting a rotor, but which has an engine for driving the shaft through a belt and pulley arrangement. The feed for chipping and for shredding are both from above the rotating shredding flails and chipping knife. A separate hopper for holding material to be shredded is at the upper side of the unit.
Conventional shredders which utilize horizontal shaft rotors for providing shredding action have been advanced. One such unit is made by Troy-Bilt Manufacturing Co. of Troy, New York, and sold under the trademark TOMAHAWK.RTM.. It is a portable unit that has a top leaf or debris hopper and a side sleeve or chute that permits insertion of material to be chipped laterally into the rotor. The material is discharged laterally adjacent the bottom of the unit.
Another chipper shredder is sold by the assignee of the present application, Crary Company, under the trademark BEARCAT.RTM.. The chipper shredder sold by Crary Company uses a rotor rotating about a horizontal axis with a leaf and debris supply hopper mounted above the rotor, and with a lateral discharge near the bottom of the rotor. The rotor utilizes serrated sickle knife sections for shredder blades, and such knife sections are also used in the present device.